Vicious
by YamiPaladinofChaos
Summary: What's in a name.


Disclaimer- I don't own Cowboy Beebop.

It was raining.

The sky was heavy and cloudy, a swirl of gray and shadow. Beneath the pounding rain, a young man wandered the streets. Much like others in this decaying slum, he was dirty, unkempt, and generally unseemly.

And another sadly common part of his life was his lack of a name. No parents stuck around him long enough to give him anything to make his existence real.

Everyone unconsciously backed away from the boy as he wandered the streets. Whether it was his unusual snow white hair, pale face and cold, dangerous eyes, or just the aura he carried himself with, no one dared come close.

As he wandered into an alley, hoping to find a bit of shelter for the moment, he heard a slight creak.

"Hey kid... give us your money, and you won't get hurt." The man growled, his voice dangerous and low. Next to him, the two others cracked their knuckles in anticipation.

"Are you talking to me?"

The voice wasn't that of a teen. It was cold and rasped, like a slicing arctic wind, so acute that it cut into your soul.

The voice of a demon.

It caused all three grown men to shiver in fear. But their bravado won over their fear, and the first man who spoke grinned nervously. "Yeah, we are, and if you know what's good for you, you'll hand over all your dough."

A grin crossed the teen's face. It wasn't nervous or happy. It was...

Evil. Full of sadistic hatred, feral and dangerous.

With a whirl, the teen had turned and lashed out, breaking the first man's nose with one clean strike. Even as the blood flew and mixed with rain, the white haired boy was already in motion.

His foot lashed out, shattering another man's kneecap, releasing a scream that mixed with the sounds of falling rain and breaking bones.

The grin grew wider.

The boy's fist lashed out, striking the man in the chest, driving breath from his body and sending him stumbling backwards.

Even as the third man began to get his bearings straight, the teen had already whirled, his foot launching upwards, catching the thug in the groin.

As the soft organs crushed under the impact, the younger man struck out again and again, punching the man's face in, relishing the sound of agony.

He lost himself in the sadism, a maestro swept up in a cacophony of pure pain. Music was emotion, and his music was the base feeling of agony.

"Hey kid, I think he's out." The newcomer's voice was joking, warm but with an underlying tone of danger.

The white haired teen turned sharply, fists raised and came out swinging.

But this new arrival was on a completely different level, blocking each strike with effortless ease. With a soft chuckle, he pushed the teen backwards.

"Whoa there, I'm not here to fight you."

Wary, but realizing this was one opponent he wouldn't be able to beat as easily as the others, the teen relaxed slightly, studying the newcomer. He was lanky, not wearing a hood or a coat over his blue suit and yellow shirt. His green hair was definitely strange, much like the boy's own.

"I work for the Syndicate... we could use someone like you." The man smiled slightly. "My name's Spike. Spike Spiegel... and you are?"

"I don't have a name." The boy rasped, glaring through his long white bangs.

"Shame... that was a pretty vicious display back there, kid." The green haired man snapped his fingers, eyes lighting up. "That's what we'll call you... Vicious."

The teen paused, unsure how to take this strange, offbeat newcomer, or his offer of joining a Syndicate.

He knew about it, of course, as all people who lived on Mars did. The shadowy organizations ran the planet, the police, the stores, everything. This was the chance to go beyond... to grow powerful.

And the name... well, it was strange, different, and frightening.

It was him.

"Vicious... hm... I like it."

Author's Remarks

This originated from Spike's remark about "the man who took you in". I could guess from that remark that maybe Spike is a few years older than Vicious. I also wanted a story on how Vicious got his name. (Honestly people... I find it impossible that any parent would name their child Vicious... though maybe it would be cool to name a kid that)


End file.
